The Persian officer in command had his men turn the Governor's Mansion upside down, yet they failed to find even a single clerk. He then ordered the people inside the two most luxurious buildings across the street to be seized.
He addressed the Azerbaijani nobles kneeling all over the ground in Persian:
"By the crown of the great Shah and the Prophet's Civil Code, I swear—the old dust of Tabriz has today been washed clean by the crescent moon!
"Go and tell everyone that their Shah has returned."
Most Azerbaijanis understood Persian. They immediately prostrated themselves in agreement, then backed out on their knees.
The officer then looked to his deputy:
"Gather the city's Darughachis and Muhtasibs at once. Purge every remaining Russian and every traitor who ever sided with them."
A "Darughachi" was an Azerbaijani Sheriff, while a "Muhtasib" was religious Police.
Persians and Azerbaijanis were completely alike in everything from their way of life to their religious beliefs. Managing them was as easy as driving down a familiar road.
Of course, the thirty thousand troops of the Persian Army outside the city were the true bedrock of their authority here.
Three days later, near Ardabil, sixty kilometers east of Tabriz, an officer was reporting to Abbas Mirza, Commander-in-Chief of the Persian Army:
"Your Highness, the cavalry returning from Baku found no Russian troops. However, Askar has gathered more than four thousand soldiers. He is likely preparing to stop us."
Askar was the Shah of the Shirvan Kingdom in eastern Transcaucasia. Since the Shirvan People followed Sunni Islam, they had always cooperated somewhat with Russia while remaining deeply wary of Persia.
The last time Agha Mohammad marched on Georgia, Askar had been intimidated by his overwhelming military strength and chosen to submit temporarily. Once Zubov arrived, however, he severely